Some nozzle reactors operate to cause interaction between materials and achieve alteration of the mechanical or chemical composition of one or more of the materials. Such interaction and alteration typically occurs by injecting the materials into a reactor chamber in the nozzle reactor. The manner in which the materials are injected into the reactor chamber and the configuration of the various components of the nozzle reactor can both contribute to how the materials interact and what types of alterations are achieved.
Examples of nozzle reactors for altering the mechanical or chemical composition of materials injected therein are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,989,091. Some of the nozzle reactors discussed in the '091 patent have two steam injectors and a central feed stock injector, each of which includes a discharge end feeding into a central reactor tube. The two steam injectors are disposed (i) laterally separated from opposing sides of the central feed stock injector and (ii) at an acute angle to the axis of the central feed stock injector. The steam injectors are thus disposed for injection of material into the central reactor tube in the direction of travel of material feed stock injected into the central reactor tube by the central feed stock injector. The central feed stock injector is coaxial with the central reactor tube and has a generally straight-through bore.
As explained in the '091 patent, superheated steam is injected through the two laterally opposed steam injectors into the interior of central reactor tube in order to impact a pre-heated, centrally-located feed stream of certain types of heavy hydrocarbon simultaneously injected into the interior of the central reactor tube via the central feed stock injector. The '091 patent states that the object of the disclosed nozzle reactor is to crack the feed stream into lighter hydrocarbons through the impact of the steam feeds with the heavy hydrocarbon feed within the reactor tube. According to the '091 patent, the types of heavy hydrocarbons processed with the disclosed nozzle reactor are crude oil, atmospheric residue, and heavy distillates. With the nozzle reactor of the '091 patent, a central oil feed stock jet intersects the steam jets at some distance from the ejection of these jets from their respective injectors.
The reliance on steam in order to utilize nozzle reactors disclosed in the '091 patent and crack heavy hydrocarbons can lead to several shortcomings. A first shortcoming arises from the method being dependent on having a large source of high quality water available for creating steam (or superheated steam). Additionally, the method requires heating apparatus to convert water into steam and energy to run the heating apparatus. Still another disadvantage in requiring steam as a cracking material in a nozzle reactor system includes the difficulty associated with the separation of the reactor vapor phase into condensed steam (i.e., water) and small quantities of low carbon number hydrocarbons, such as methane, ethane, propane, and butane, or diluted organic compounds such as alcohols and mercaptans.